Ever have an outline for a story, and then the story develops its own personality? At the end of this story, if wanted, I will post the 'outtakes' of cut scenes, and ones which just went bad!

Thanks again for following. I love and adore the comments and critiques!

Diehard, here are Cady and Black for you. Cady is approximately 7 years old, and I based her vocabulary on my son's who turns 7 in July. Truthfully, my son talks as much, if not more, than Cady does here!

I have nearly finished the next chapter, but the next couple weeks will prove extremely busy. My promise to work on this as much as time allows!

--KM

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". . .and then Nanny Magda said perhaps the garden was not the best place for a water fight, cause we would just water the weeds and muss the plants! But, I didn't Uncle Hunk, promise! I stepped over them. It's not MY fault that Jemma fell over into the wheelbarrow. It was filled with icky stuff too, Uncle Hunk. Nanny Magda said the horse poop would help the plants grow, but I do not want horse poop on my food. It would be really yucky, and you know what else, Uncle Hunk?"

Hunk let the flow of chatter flow over him, grunting once in a while at a pause in Cady's recitation, or throwing in a generic question. Nanny had handed Cady over after lunch with the request she not return until suppertime. A small batch of cookies dangled in front of the yellow pilot had quickly sealed the deal. With supplies of sugar, flour, hell, everything food related, low he would not turn down cookies! Besides, it would make a great bedtime snack with Saria, IF she made it back from town.

Pausing, the man leaned back on his knees and looked at the panel in front of him. Why the damned thing did not function, escaped him. Raising his hands to the ceiling, he linked his fingers and arms behind his head and stretched with the palms facing outward, head looking at the ceiling of the cabin.

"And Black says he is really, really sorry he cannot help more, but it is taking more than anticipated to hold his person close. Besides, today was a good day 'cause he says Daddy came as close to us since the porcupine guy and it makes him really happy so he promises to try and be better about the reconnecting thingies. And anyway,"

"STOP!" Hunk interrupted suddenly as what she said penetrated his fogged brain. "Back up, slow down."

Cady looked at her uncle, wide-eyed. She knew people thought of Uncle Hunk as a big teddy bear who never said a cross-word or raised his voice, but Cady knew better. She could wheedle her way around him most of the time, but when he had THAT tone, it meant business. Wiggling on her seat, she looked up at Hunk. "Which part?"

"The part about your Daddy, sweetheart." Hunk turned his body and sat with one leg outstretched, the other bent at the knee.

"Ohh, that part. Black told me today Daddy actually talked to him a little." She paused a moment and cocked her head, "Is that ok to say, Black?" She sat quietly in a listening pose. The yellow pilot just waited. Over the last couple weeks, this had occurred with increasing frequency. Hunk reported all the conversations to Dr. Gorma, but no one else. He did not know if Cady really heard Black or if she used her conversations as a coping mechanism. The good doctor said it could go either way. She did seem to have more information about Keith's condition than her Uncles relayed to her, but she also spent time in the hospital with her dad and with the other kids still recovering there and could pick up on conversations between medical personnel. Since it appeared to help Cady cope, the doctor simply asked Hunk to report what she said. He had cautiously felt out Nanny, and the other uncles, but Cady did not talk about Black to anyone else.

It made sense in a fashion. She and Hunk spent far more time with Black and each other than the others. Nanny had the castle and the crèche to supervise, Lance spent more time out of the castle than in it, Darrell spent his days and many of his nights wrestling with the castle systems and replacement, and Coran and Allura dashed from fire to fire trying to keep the planet functioning. Of all of Cady's family, only Saria and Hunk had the time to spend with her. Cady knew she could always come find him and he would either include her in what he did or find something for her to do, not always useful. He and Saria had talked the night before about Cady. Saria felt very sorry for her position. As Keith's daughter, many people made demands on her beyond her age and ability. With Keith unavailable, some had turned to Cady for answers she did not have, nor would have, for years to come.

Saria had come the instant she had heard about Keith. Dr. Gorma had sedated all the pilots leaving Cady at loose ends. When Hunk had heard how Saria had simply taken the girl under her wing, he had fallen even more deeply in love with her. How fortunate the day he had needed an apology for Nanny and walked into her shop. She had become Aunt Saria the day she met Cady. Hunk lost himself in the thought of the woman he would take to wife. Looking down, the man saw his hands gripping too tightly on the tool he held. Had Lotor not attacked, the ceremony would have already taken place. One more crime to add to the list of the monster. Saria had simply looked at him when he expressed his anger and replied a formal ceremony only celebrated what they had already decided.

"Uncle Hunk?"

"Hmm? Sorry, sweetheart, lost in thought."

"You ok?"

"Yes, sweetheart. Just missing Aunt Saria."

Cady brightened, "She is coming back TONIGHT! And promised to play cards with me!"

Hunk looked at Cady suspiciously, "What game?"

"Adding-on casino!1"

Mentally, Hunk sighed. Lance had started teaching their niece the rudiments of poker and kept attempting to corrupt Saria into learning. Thank goodness tonight had nothing to do with Lance's lessons. "Can you tell me what Black said?"

"Oh, right." Cady took a deep breath, "Ok, so Black says he knows he has not been helping with the repairs but he really needed to watch Daddy closely, like when Nanny watches the babies. Since he and Daddy are connected, he had to pick Daddy first over himself. OK?"

Hunk pondered the thought a moment; then nodded for Cady to continue.

"So then he said that today Daddy finally talked to him for a minute and took a step closer to Black. He said it made Daddy very tired, but that Daddy promised to come and talk again later. Black says he will try to be better about repairs, but that right now it is a very important place where Daddy is." Cady screwed up her nose and thought hard, "Ok I think that is all."

Hunk nodded and turned the tool over absently in his hands, looking around the cockpit. Finally, he nodded to himself and carelessly tossed the tool into his box. "Cady-did-what, we should go find a horse and go for a ride. We have been cooped up here too long as it is!"

Cady shrieked with delight and launched herself at her Uncle. He effortlessly picked her up and strode out the door heading for the stables. Fresh air did wonders for clearing out the cobwebs. . . and for pondering interesting statements by little girls who knew more than they should.

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"And that is about what she relayed, doc." Hunk sat in one of the chairs across from Dr. Gorma in his office.

Mikko sat with his hands laced together on top of the desk in front of him. When the pilot finished his recitation, he picked up a data pad laying in front of him. This corresponds to an occurrence this morning. The monitors picked up some higher brain function. It lasted less than a minute, and has not yet repeated. We will keep a closer eye on the captain for the next several hours. If what Catherine reported is true. ." He trailed off, eyes focused on the wall, setting the data pad back on the desk. "Then we may need to reevaluate the relationship the pilots have with their lions." He shook his head, "But that is for another time. Thank you for informing me, Lieutenant. Please let me know if she says anything further."

Nodding, the pilot stood at the implied dismissal and left the room. The doctor leaned back in his chair, fingers of his right hand drumming on the arm. After several minutes, he picked his data pad and looked at the information on the Captain once more. One episode of detectable higher brain function. Since it had not repeated in the last twelve hours, the doctor had dismissed it as an anomaly. In his experience, coma patients would experience the slow return of consciousness, but not with such large gaps of time between detectable occurrences.

Tossing the data pad carelessly on the desk, Mikko laced his hands together behind his head and closed his eyes as he tried to piece together what the yellow pilot had relayed to him regarding Captain Kogane's daughter in the last few weeks. After several minutes, the doctor opened his eyes and began making notes while talking aloud to himself. He had found speaking the words aloud often helped crystallize this thoughts and find connections otherwise missed.

"Ok, Mikko, take from the top. Initially, the child relayed to the Lieutenant from Black her Dad was further away than ever before. Now, that could correspond to the Captain actually dying and then coming back. As far as I can recall, no prior life-threatening injury compared in severity to this one. Different circumstances. Also, the Captain did not believe he would emerge from this war intact. He expected to die, therefore would not fight death as hard as before. Ok, makes sense.

"Next, she reported his fear, depression, and exhaustion. Fear of what. What did she say? Burden, yes, the Captain did not want to burden anyone. He knew the severity of his injuries, also knew the damage his body had taken from the Agappon. The chances of a complete recovery are exceedingly small. In fact, I would expect he will not recover fully. Side bar, check in with therapists. Back to the main topic. We managed to stabilize the captain and physically his body has started to heal. So, time to make some suppositions.

"One. For four years, the captain has taken responsibility for the defense of the planet and all that entails. Rarely a vacation, and runs constantly on a sleep debit.

"Two. No one has come to help plan defenses and support from his Galaxy Garrison has come only rarely. They took a young man with great training, but little in the way of experience, sent him with other young men of similar caliber and essentially abandoned them to their own devices. Few men in the galaxy could have withstood four years of such grand responsibility.

"Three. Finally an end in sight with the new pilots coming from Garrison, the Arusian forces ready to graduate the first class in over a decade, and then word everything face obliteration once again. Hmm, great deal of stress and increased pressure.

"Four. Essentially sentencing himself to slow death. Knowing the chance of survival stood at less than ten percent. Accepting the sacrifice for the safety of the people of Arus. In essence, let go of the need to fight death any longer.

"Five. We yanked him back. Did not let him make the final step. So, look at this from a different perspective. I know in order for the people to have a chance of survival, I let go of mine. I prepare everything for my family. I say good-bye to the people most important to me and then step into battle without looking back. Then for six days, my body withers slowly; injuries, exhaustion, and drugs taking their toll. My uniform hangs loosely, and I wear extra socks on my feet to keep them from slipping around in my boots. I ask someone to add fasteners to my uniforms to keep the loose material from interfering with my movements. My lion takes a beating until, like me, it is held together with a wish and a prayer. Then a last battle. Already injured, trying to return to base for ten minutes of down time and repairs to my machine, it finally happens. One too many injuries and no time left. It will be my final battle and help has not arrived. So, I fight and do not let my team know the truth. The people must be protected. Then, just like an avenging angel, at the last moment, help finally arrives. I can let go. Someone else will take up the slack and I can finally let go. I can feel my body shutting down, but it is a relief. The pain becomes overwhelming then fades. Nothing hurts and peace beckons. I already accepted this, and do not fight any longer. Then, something stops my journey. The body I left behind does not fade and now I am trapped. I do not want to return to the wreck I left behind. I am tired of the responsibility. I just want peace. So, I stay at the edge where life and death meet at the crossroads."

Mikko blinked and looked at the data pad in front of him. Suddenly it made sense, if the Black and pilot did have a connection, then only the lion had a chance of reaching his pilot. They needed a way to coax the captain back to himself. Nodding to himself, the doctor decided to make a leap of faith and let himself believe.

Standing, he strode to the door and then down the hallway to the Captain's room. Pausing in the doorway, he looked inside. Machines made soft noises in the stillness. A nurse sat at the table and chair, obviously updating charts. She looked up as Dr. Gorma paused in the doorway. "Doctor."

He smiled, "Take a break, nurse. I thought to sit in the quiet for a few minutes."

Nodding, the nurse gathered the charts and exited the room. The doctor carefully closed the door behind her. Pulling the chair close to the bed he looked over at the machine the yellow pilot had installed according to Black's instructions. Looking at the closed door, the doctor suddenly felt slightly foolish. Taking a deep breath, he scolded himself for delaying and then cleared his throat. "Black Lion, I am Dr. Gorma. Truthfully, I feel slightly foolish talking to a box, but I am taking a leap of belief. Goddess and God above know nothing else seems to have helped. Perhaps you can relay some thoughts of mine to the Captain." Gorma paused to gather his thoughts in a semi-logical manner, "I understand the Captain's reluctance to return. He had made his peace with his sacrifice. We did not let him go quietly, and rather high-handedly decided we needed him without considering what HE needed. I cannot apologize for saving him, but I can apologize for not considering his needs.

"Please reassure the Captain his body can recover. I will not lie and say it will ever be the same as before, but he will fly again. He will not burden anyone with his care in the long term, and in the short term; for what he has sacrificed for Arus and her people, helping him will not be a burden on anyone, but rather a way for us to give a small measure back to him.

"Cady misses her Dad. She comes in several times a day. We have found her to be a blessing in entertaining the few children still her in the hospital who need care. Catherine is an extraordinary child.

"The rest of the team visits when possible. Lance cannot stand to sit here long, so usually only stays long enough to give a brief summary and then leave. We all feel the emptiness of the room."

Dr. Gorma paused, listening to the quiet sounds of the room. Strange, how soothing he found the noises. To him, it meant life. Silence. Silence meant he had lost the war. The quiet beeping of monitors and the soft shushing of machines reassured him. "Captain, I cannot offer meaningless platitudes or reassurance. This planet and her people still need you. The numbers of prayers and offerings of hope for your recovery overwhelm my staff. We try to respond to each of them, but it will take time. For most of this planet, you represent not only the hope for a better future, but living proof someone can rise again and again from the ashes. I cannot imagine the burden this places on your shoulders. I can understand wanting to pass this responsibility to someone else. You have done more, given more than any one person should. Yet this planet, these people ask more of you. Captain, you are yet needed and wanted. Please give us more time with you and let us show you what you have done for us."

For several minutes, Dr. Gorma sat in the quiet, asking the Goddess and God Above to convey his message to the Captain and to take pity on the man to give him, not the peace of death, but peace of mind. Rousing himself, Mikko stood and picked up the chart at the end of the bed. Nodding to himself, he moved to the Captain's left hand and tested the reflexes. Slow, but improved. It looked as though he should gain nearly all of the movement back. Taking stock, the doctor cataloged each of the wounds and reevaluated his treatment prognosis. Gently working atrophied muscles, he tested the range of motion for arms, shoulders, elbows, and fingers. The legs did not worry him as much as the only outside damage came from the broken ankle, healing nicely. "Well, Captain, I think the prognosis looks good. I cannot say for certain you will regain everything you lost in your left shoulder, arm, and hand but it looks better than several days ago. Recovery will take months, if not a year or more. Much will depend on how long you sleep. At this point, physical activity, food, therapies, and easy living are the best fixes. Wake up soon." With a note to the nurses to check for any developing sores, Gorma strode out of the room.

Several hours later, the machines would register a longer burst of activity in the Captain's mind.

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Over the next day, the monitors would register increasing activity in the Captain's mind. The time between active cycles decreased and the cycles increased in duration. The doctor felt cautiously optimistic the Captain would wake soon, but kept his reports to the team brief. Several nurses reported hearing a faint rumbling in the room, but could not track the source. The doctor just smiled and told them not to worry.

The second day after detecting the first burst of activity, the nurses reported a brief stage of beta waves. Elated, Dr. Gorma waited until he reached his office and closed the door before dancing in a circle. Several minutes later, he exited his office calm and collected with a twinkle in his eye. Over the course of the day, the monitors showed an increase in beta waves indicating dreaming and increased periods of theta waves. The nurses reported twitching muscles and some eye movements indicating a dream state.

At shift change, the night crew had to chase out the day shift. No one wanted to leave and miss the Captain waking. Dr. Gorma had to threaten, cajole, and bully the nurses to leaving and taking their rest. He had already called his wife to let her know he would spend the night at the hospital.

The night passed swiftly with one nurse reporting the Captain's eyes had opened briefly at one point, although it did not appear he focused on anything. As the doctor looked over the monitor reports, he saw the appearance of alpha waves, the precursor to wakefulness.

Just before 5am, a nurse came bursting into the doctor's office, waking him from a fitful sleep. "Dr. Gorma, he woke! Come quickly!"

Mikko found himself out the door and down the hallway before his brain had caught up to his body. Walking into the Captain's room, he checked the monitors and saw the evidence of consciousness. He approached the bed to see the man in it sleeping once more. "Tell me what you observed."

"I was folding linens when I felt like someone watched me. Looking up, I saw the Captain had his eyes open and focused on the sheet in my hands. When I stopped, he transferred his gaze to mine. I stood and walked over to the bed. As I did, his eyes lost focus and closed once more, but you can see his mind and body are hovering around the waking point."

"Hmmm." The doctor watched the monitors for a moment and then nodded. "It will probably take several hours for him to wake completely. I believe I need to be here when it happens. Could you please ring for some coffee and breakfast?"

"Yes, doctor. Right away."

"And nurse?"

"Yes, doctor?"

"I know we want to jump for joy and spread the word, but for now, please keep the news to yourself. Before we conclude the Captain is awake, I would like some solid evidence."

"Yes, doctor. Mums the word!"

Mikko turned back to his patient and carefully picked up his wrist, checking the pulse. Stronger than the prior day. Good. As he watched, the Captain's eyes started moving below the lids. "That's it Captain Kogane, come back to us."

Several minutes later, the movement subsided. Sighing, the doctor went to sit in the chair abandoned by the nurse. The next few hours would last years.

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1 A game played with a standard deck of cards. Each player is dealt 4 cards with 4 face up on the table. Players can either make a match and take the cards or "build" an equation. For example, the player has a three and a seven in their hand. A four is on the board. They can place the four on the three and declare seven. On the next turn they place the seven on top and take it. The person with the most points at the end of the game wins. 11 points possible: 3 for having the most cards, 1 for each ace, 1 for having the most spades, 2 for the big casino (ten of diamonds) and 1 for little casino (2 of spades).